‘What is wrong with these victims?’ CJI Surya Kant asks why educated people still fall for digital arrest scams

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Thursday (29 October) questioned why educated people keep falling for “digital arrest” scams despite public awareness campaigns, news reports and court orders, during a Supreme Court hearing on the frauds, PTI reported.

In a digital arrest scam, fraudsters posing as police, CBI or other officials call or video-call a person, falsely claim they are linked to a crime such as drug trafficking or money laundering, keep them on camera as if under arrest, and pressure them into transferring money. A bench of the Chief Justice and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana is hearing a case the court took up on its own, titled “In Re: Victims of Digital Arrest Related to Forged Documents”.

The remarks came after senior advocate N S Nappinai, who is assisting the court as amicus curiae, said the scams were continuing “unabated” and that a woman had lost ₹2.5 crore in one such case last week, according to PTI and The Indian Express.

“What is wrong with these victims? How are these victims being trapped like this? They can’t understand this basic thing? What’s fear of arrest on mobile?” the Chief Justice said, according to PTI. “Hit the mobile on wall and arrest goes.”

Justice Mohana noted that educated people were also getting trapped. Nappinai replied, “That probably is what works against them. The fear of arrest is much higher amongst them,” The Indian Express reported. She also told the bench that some psychologists believe victims get hypnotised.

“We feel frustrated that all educated people are getting duped. What will you pass on to next generation if you get digitally arrested at this age? People can go to the courts website to find if there’s an order,” the Chief Justice added, pointing out that any court order a caller claims to have can be checked.

The bench also said it was considering directing banks to compensate victims, and face prosecution, where a fraud happened because the bank failed to exercise due diligence. “We are proposing to direct that wherever such fraud takes place, bank will compensate victim and suffer prosecution. It has to be done,” the Chief Justice said. Attorney General R Venkataramani told the court that digital arrests had come down by 50 per cent since the court stepped in.

No police force or central agency arrests anyone over a phone or video call. Suspected cyber fraud can be reported on the national helpline 1930 or at cybercrime.gov.in, according to the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre.